Holmium fiber is a rare item...it can turn up in a lot of places, but has a low chance of doing so.

Duranium is actually fairly common, but is mostly common after it's useful for crafting (which I assume is what you're wanting it for). You can get it by mining deposits (not recommended, as it's more complex than most people think and can be very annoying), killing an outlaw duranium mine and looting it (said mines always have a code stating with 'D', and two turrets outside them), or buying from a mining colony. Honestly, the latter is best if you can manage it.

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Atarlost wrote:If it's a grey box with a name that's T followed by a number it's a smuggler. No one else uses those designs.

Well, the UAS does in Eternity Port, but they only show up when you're escorting them.

As for the smuggler ones, the first ones common early on usually have some low - grade ores, but not much that's very good. The higher end ones either have cancer dust(those ones are seen going around the system, and belong to the Death Drug Cartel) or an assorted array of items(the ones at the Black Market). The latter, you'll want to hit them once so that they undock before you kill them, otherwise it'll anger the station guards.

(That's probably in need of a fix sometime, the Black Market shouldn't be tolerant of people just killing their smugglers under their noses.

Ultimately, none of these are a particularly reliable source of good ore, so I'd recommend sticking to mid - late game outlaw miners, as well as Ferians if you've got a good engine. They usually have lots of duranium and orthosteel.

I wont say thats impossible after what Transcendence Engine has shown me (URAKS IN ERADANI FOR PETE'S SAKE!) but its strange. I conclude that the random features of 1.6.3 are messed up. Have you tried mining in those systems? Maybe take a plasma torch back and check it up. Im greatly curious!

Actually, to wander off-topic briefly, the Urak outpost is not entirely random in Eridani. Part of the Benedictine tutorial line involves spawning either an Urak Outpost, an Anarchist Gathering, or an Abbasid Outpost in the outer asteroid ring. It literally will not exist in the system until you have docked with the Sisters of Domina and talked to Benedict.
I now return you to your regularly scheduled topic.